Just to Be With You
by Just Dyana
Summary: When, against all odds, Kagome wins a bowling match while Inuyasha loses it, it means he has to do her dishes four times. He doesn't mind. She doesn't mind. So why is it taking so long for them to get together? College AU, fluff, Inukag.
1. Chapter 1

_Prompt:__ "Whoever loses this match has to do the dishes"_

* * *

"'kay, last round guys!" Koga shouted, and Kagome let out a long, relieved sigh. That was probably a very dramatic reaction, but she wanted _out_ of this situation, out of this place, and in fact, she never wanted to enter a bowling alley ever again. She never even wanted to have to _look_ at a bowling alley.

She had thought that her experience with archery would be of help, somehow, but she had learned quickly that she had been sorely mistaken. Her experience with most sports in high school should have been a warning, but she'd just _had_ to ignore it and agree on this night out, right? Ugh. She wanted to punch herself in the face.

It didn't help that the night hadn't exactly gone as she wanted. She had been really, really happy when Miroku had offered her and Sango to tag along with him and Inuyasha. Sango had been less than enthused, but had agreed to support her friend, who she knew cared a _lot_ about the half-demon.

She had agreed mostly because _she_ suspected the guy wasn't over his ex and she wanted to be there to break some of his bones in case he hurt Kagome.

When they had gotten there, it had turned out Koga, Ginta and Hakkaku were there as well, which would have been fine, since they were hilarious, if Koga hadn't spent the night flirting with Kagome, ruining her chances to get closer to Inuyasha. The half-demon, who probably wasn't quite over his ex but still definitely liked Kagome, had and spent most of his time growling from the side, not returning any of the glances the girl was throwing him.

So Sango had decided to drink. She was _not_ here for this mess.

Despite being pretty intensely wasted, she somehow managed to get strike after strike, much to Kagome's discontent. She was the only one who hadn't gotten anything to drink and she had hit _maybe_ three pins since they had started playing.

She had, however, managed to fend off Koga's attempt at 'showing her', and that had to count for something.

If Inuyasha tried, it would be a whole other story, but he _hadn't_.

"Let's rise the stakes a little," Koga added with a wolfish grin, and Kagome froze. "Whoever loses this match has to do the dishes of whoever wins for the next week."

Kagome let out a plaintive shriek. She was _clearly_ the weakest here. Alcohol didn't seem to impact the demons' ability to score. Miroku would have been her only hope, but even _he_ was better than her.

"Wait," she protested, "what if there's a tie?"

"Let's do it by flatmates," Koga added with a shrug, clearly unperturbed. "You're with Sango, I'm with Ginta and Hakkaku, the dog's with the monk."

Inuyasha growled, but didn't object.

"But there's _three_ of you! That's not _fair_!"

"'kay, so… Just Hakkaku then, if that's fine with you, man?"

Hakkaku beamed at Koga's proposition, but Ginta frowned. Koga either didn't notice it or didn't care before he turned back towards Kagome, beaming.

"Good with you, Kags?"

She _would_ have said no, but Miroku and Sango were yelling about how they were going to _crush_ him behind her, and she didn't want to spoil the fun.

"Two days," she negotiated.

"Four."

She sighed. _Fine_. She gave up. She would do Koga's dishes for four days — because yeah, there was no way Sango would do it. She would just glare at her, and be ready to come over with a baseball bat if some kneecaps needed to be burst, but she'd let her deal with it.

"Four it is."

Without any hesitation, Koga walked to grab a ball, threw it perfectly, and, of course, scored a strike. He turned back to grin widely at Kagome, who looked like she was about to mount the scaffold. Ginta threw a ball and scored a strike as well, but he still wasn't looking happy about Koga picking Hakkaku.

So when came Hakkaku's turn, he tackled him. Koga swore loudly, but the ball had fallen in the gutter, and he watched it disappear.

When Hakkaku shot again, Koga was holding Ginta firmly. They could do with a spare, he decided. Kagome would be lucky if she took down one pin, and Miroku rarely got them all.

They were good. It was going to be fine.

Sango got up and easily scored a strike. When Miroku offered to give her a kiss as a reward, she said that if he tried, she would crush his skull open with a ball.

Kagome grabbed a ball. This would be fine, she told herself. She'd do Koga's dishes for four days, and it would be a pain in the ass, but she knew Koga could take no for an answer. It would just be… annoying.

"Hey, let me show ya."

Kagome immediately stopped and looked over her shoulder, vaguely wondering if she was hearing things, but no, that _had_ happened. Inuyasha had gotten out of his seat and was walking towards her, and damn, what a sight he was. Hands in his pockets, broad shoulders nicely defined by the red shirt he was wearing, hair flowing behind him. _Hmm, nice_… Koga watched the scene in disbelief. Wait, why wasn't she sending _him_ away as well?

"You don't get to throw for her, man," he shouted, and Inuyasha ignored him.

"You don't mind?" he asked her instead, and Kagome wordlessly shook her head.

Kagome genuinely had trouble breathing when Inuyasha got behind her. He didn't speak, and she swore she heard him swallow with some difficulty. He rested a hand on her hip, barely touching her, and yet the contact was enough to send a wave of heat throughout her entire body. His other hand ran down her arm, and the feeling of his claws against her skin made her shiver. Finally, he put his large hand on top of hers.

"You got this," he whispered in her ear. He guided her movement precisely, and Kagome focused on the muscles that were moving, on the way he was tilting her wrist, and _not_ on his warm breath on her neck, nor on his hard chest pressed against her back. "Just relax, 'kay?"

His warmth left her as he stepped back, and she managed to keep herself from protesting.

Okay. She _was_ doing this. Not letting herself time to think, she ran, threw and…

Wait.

No.

She refused to believe it. She had fallen and hit her head on the floor and now she was hallucinating. There was _no_ way that had happened.

And then, Sango screamed and clapped, and it registered.

It _was_ a strike.

She slowly turned around in utter disbelief, and even Koga was clapping, though he didn't look that happy, and Inuyasha had the proudest grin on his face.

"I did it?" she half-exclaimed, half-asked.

"I knew you could," he said, surprisingly softly. "Well done."

She smiled, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, and it was like there was only the two of them in the world, until Koga sighed loudly, breaking the moment. So was anyone going to tell him that Kagome and the other guy were into each other or was he supposed to find out by watching them be two clueless idiots?

After that, Miroku scored another miraculous strike, but that didn't make Koga feel better. Instead, he watched as Inuyasha walked and picked a ball. Right before throwing it, he gave Koga a toothy grin, and the wolf-demon glared at him in response. No. No way. He wouldn't dare. He relaxed briefly when Inuyasha threw what appeared to be a perfect ball, and swore loudly when, at the last second, somefuckinghow, it curved to get into the gutter.

The half-demon didn't even pretend for the next one. He basically let it fall, and, of course, didn't make any points out of that one.

"Whoops. Looks like I'm the one who'll be on dishes duty…"

"I'll join you," Miroku slurred.

"Please don't," Sango replied on the same tone, seemingly forgetting that she was currently half-laying on top of him.

Inuyasha shot a vaguely worried look at Koga, but the wolf-demon simply shrugged. He hadn't missed the bright smile Kagome had tried, and failed, to hide when Inuyasha had lost, so _clearly_ on purpose. What a fucking asshole.

"Well played, man."

He wasn't gonna lie, he liked the girl. But he'd get over it.

"Sooo, do I get to decide how I use my four days?" Kagome asked, probably a little _too_ happily.

"No way. _I_ decide."

"What? But that's not _fair_."

"Haven't you heard? The world's unfair."

She pouted at his response, and Inuyasha decided she was fucking adorable when she did that. Plus, truth be told, if the world had put her in his life, maybe it wasn't as unfair as he'd always believed.

* * *

_Hey! First chapter of a story that will have six. Nothing much, just some College AU fluff that I hope you'll enjoy! I should be posting a new chapter every two days, starting tomorrow, so the last one will fall on the White Day, for the Inuyasha event. Don't hesitate to leave a review, and I hope we'll have fun during the next week and a half!_

_Dya._


	2. Chapter 2

_Prompts: "How long were you standing there?" and "Don't judge me— You're the one who sings Disney songs in the shower!"_

* * *

Inuyasha had meant to surprise her. It was a weird thing, probably, to want to surprise a girl by _doing her fucking dishes_, and perhaps he was a little too excited about that, too, because damn he fucking liked that girl way more than he should. He had come right after his last class, since he didn't have basketball practice on Mondays, and Sango had opened the door at his first knock.

She had glared at him for a few moments, and he had simply waited. Sango wasn't his biggest fan, but he didn't blame her. Girl was extremely protective when it came to Kagome, and he would probably be the exact same, if he ever had the chance.

"If you hurt her," Sango said, very matter-of-factly, as she stepped out of the way to let him in, "I'll rip your heart out."

"Keh. I'd like to see you try, slayer," he answered, though if he hurt Kagome, he would probably _let_ her.

She let out a dangerous laugh, but didn't reply.

"I'm going to train. Dishes are in the sink."

"Wait, where's—"

The door slammed behind her, and he rolled his eyes. How dramatic could she be?

He dropped his bag on the ground and looked around. The place was very small, much like the one he shared with Miroku, and the setting was just as terrible. The living-room was ridiculously small, and he wasn't even sure how he could fit in the kitchen. That wall, right by the sink, was stupidly placed, and from the look of it, the small room next to it was the bathroom.

Where he could hear water running.

Someone was taking a shower.

_Shit_.

So Kagome was in there, water running alongside her jaw, down her neck, her back, her legs, over her thighs, on her br—

Yup, nah, not going there. He swallowed with some difficulty and shook his head, trying to push the images out of his head. _Fuck_. Couldn't Sango have warned him? At least he couldn't smell her distinctly, with the shampoo and shit, but when she'd get out she'd be— _tempting_.

Dishes. He was there to do the dishes. Right. He needed to be doing that, not thinking about how good she'd smell when she'd come out, or about her long legs, her creamy thighs, her wet, parted lips, her small, lovely breasts, her—

Dishes.

But if he took hot water, she would probably notice, so, erm, he should… probably wait? He eyed the sink, and there wasn't much in it any way, meaning that if he started now, he wouldn't get to spend much time with her at all.

He couldn't believe he wanted there to be _more_ dishes when him and Miroku almost fought over who would do them at their place.

He liked that girl so much it was stupid.

"_If there's a price for rotten judgement… I guess I've already won that._"

He almost jumped, but no, Kagome hadn't come out, and the muses weren't singing to him either. She was just singing, apparently, just when he thought he couldn't like her any more or could think she'd be any cuter.

"_Who d'you think you're kidding, he's the earth and heaven to you._"

_And _she was doing the voices. Inuyasha held back a laugh, half-sitting on the table as he listened to Kagome. For a moment, he closed his eyes, letting himself be enraptured by her voice. No one could see him, and that meant he didn't have to pretend, didn't have to worry about people laughing at the half-demon so hopelessly in love with a priestess — yes, yet _another_, who could break his heart _again_ because he didn't deserve her either.

"_No chance, no way, I won't say it, no no._"

Same. That Megara girl really knew what was up, huh?

"_It's too cliche, I won't say I'm in love_…"

Ah, to be the one Kagome was thinking about when she sang that. To be the one who held such a place in her heart, to be able to hold her. He'd take far less than that, if he could. He'd be her friend, if she wanted him, he'd take being able to simply love her from a distance, even if that would crush his heart. He'd take _anything _if it meant he'd be able to keep her in his life.

"_At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love…_"

His eyes snapped open when he heard the door sliding, and next thing he knew, he was looking at a very wet, very naked Kagome, with a simple towel wrapped around her.

She screamed.

He, fortunately, held back a scream — that was the least manly thing he could have done and he would never have gotten over it — and turned around.

"Fuck— Sorry— Didn't mean to— Sango let me in for that dishes thing and I didn't want to take your hot water—"

"You _scared_ me," she whispered, and she saw him tense. "I'll— I'll go change. Give me a second."

She slid in her room, and closed the door with a last look at him. She couldn't help but chuckle after that. His _reaction_? That was _adorable_. The look on his face, the blush, the way he _clearly_ wanted to turn around but was holding himself back… And the thing he'd said about the hot water? Ugh. How could he _dare._

She got out after having thrown on a tee-shirt and jeans. He had his hands in water, and she frowned when she realized he hadn't put gloves on.

"Aren't you going to burn yourself?"

He glanced at her, looking almost relieved that she was dressed now, and shot her a grin.

"Half-demon."

"That doesn't mean it would be pleasant, surely…" She tried dipping her hand in the water but he intercepted her right before that

"'m good, really, but it's still hot," he said, letting go of her hand almost immediately, like that touch was what had burned him.

She remained silent for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to do about this. About how fast he had stopped her so she wouldn't hurt herself, about how warm, how gentle and careful he was despite his brash exterior, about how… She cleared her throat.

"So, erm, how long were you standing there?"

He grimaced. "Not long, I swear, I— Don't _judge_ me, you're the one who sings Disney songs in the shower!"

She was unbelievably grateful that he was focused on the dishes when he said that, so he didn't see her turning bright red. He'd heard that? Well, it made sense, because she was singing it when she had walked out but, still, he wasn't supposed to hear her sing _that_.

"Oh, c'mon, I have a nice voice!" she joked, hoping she sounded natural.

"Keh. 's alright, I guess."

She bumped her head against his shoulder to indicate her disapproval, which was about the highest place she could reach, and then, when it turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, chose to stay there. Inuyasha tensed briefly, then relaxed.

"You're leaving a wet spot on my shirt," he protested playfully, forcing himself to _say_ something so he didn't just think about her body leaning against his, about how his shirt would spend like her after that, about how much he _wanted_ her right now.

"Boo-hoo. So what, you can take almost boiling water, but wet hair is what sends you?"

He laughed, but didn't reply. "Do you really mind?" she asked curiously after a few seconds. "I can move if you do."

There was moment of silent, and then:

"…Nah. Nah, I don't mind. You can stay there."

_For as long as you want_.

* * *

_I'm happy to see you're enjoying this, thank you for sending your support for this work! I'd love to read your thoughts on this chapter as well :) See you on the 8th if everything goes according to plan!_

_Dya._


	3. Chapter 3

_Prompt: "C'mon—I don't bite. Not unless you want me to, that is."_

* * *

After that fiasco on the first day, which had turned out alright in the end, sure, but maybe he was just a _little_ paranoiac, Inuyasha carefully decided to wait for Kagome to invite him back. And waited. And waited. And waited. He told himself it just had to do with the mid-terms. They were all really busy those days, after all, and either she didn't think about it, or she didn't want to bother him.

He had run into her on campus shortly before he would have unavoidably fallen back into his usual 'yeah she probably hates me and wants nothing to do with me'. She had bags under her eyes, her hair was messy, and she looked like she wanted to die, and suddenly, he had no doubt that yup, the midterms were the problem.

They had barely exchanged three words, mainly because she couldn't seem to align more than that, and even then they were hardly coherent, but they had managed to agree that she would wait for him to come out of basketball practice, and he'd walk to her apartment with her. The thought of it was a bit— weird. Kikyo used to do that a lot. He liked it, to be honest. Other players always had girls waiting for them, and him, the half-demon… He didn't. So to have his girl waiting for him every once in a while, yeah, he appreciated it.

She didn't do it all the time, but, if he insisted enough, she sometimes managed to clear her schedule for him.

Now that he thought about it, he knew it didn't sound great. It wasn't great, either. She sighed a lot, she complained about the other things she had to do, and he knew she didn't really like being seen in public with him. But back then, it was all he had. As he got prepared to leave, he wondered if Kagome had felt forced, and the nagging, shitty feeling didn't leave him until he walked out.

He discovered her, asleep on a bench facing the door when he walked out, and he grimaced. Had he kept her out there? He should have told her he'd meet her at her apartment.

He walked to her, unable to shake the unpleasant thoughts, and gave her a flick on the forehead. She jumped awake immediately, and he couldn't help but think that, yeah, she was _cute_.

"No, I don't know how to do trigono— Oh."

That made him snort.

"Trigonometry?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you a psychology major?"

"Yeah, um, maths might have been traumatizing," Kagome yawned while stretching, taking in her surroundings. "You haven't— been around for too long, have you?"

"Just got here," he replied with a shrug, feeling guilty, yet again, that she would worry about him when he was the one keeping her out. "C'mon, let's get you home. You need some sleep."

"I sure do," she sighed, getting up. "I thought those exams were _never_ going to end."

She started to walk by his side, and he considered slowing his pace down for her, until he realized that she was stumbling. They'd be lucky if she just didn't fall asleep while standing.

"Want me to carry ya?"

She blinked.

"Come again?"

He sighed.

"I made ya stay out late when you're clearly way too fucking tired for that. Want me to carry you so you don't fall and hurt yourself or something?"

She looked at him, hesitant, for a couple of minutes.

"I don't— I didn't mind waiting for you, Inuyasha. I mean, I could have told you I'd see you at my place, I just—"

_I wanted to walk home with you_.

"Yeah, whatever." He shrugged. He knew Kagome was _nice_. He knew she wouldn't want to hurt him, and maybe she was telling the truth right now, but he just couldn't get rid of the feeling.

He knelt in front of her, presenting her his back.

"Get on." When she hesitated, he rolled his eyes. "C'mon— I don't bite. Unless you want me to, 'f course."

She laughed, and he instantly felt his lips forming into a smile.

"God you're dumb," she said, walking towards him. "Don't drop me, though, okay?"

He would never.

"Depends. If you get too annoying, I just might."

He wrapped his hands around her legs and easily got up. It was like she weighed nothing, and yet he was all too aware of her body against his, of her arms around him, of her hair falling on his shoulders.

"You can fall asleep if you wanna," he said as he started walking.

"Hmm, no, I don't want to," she mumbled, but she was already resting her head on his shoulder and he was so _comfortable_ and she was so _so_ tired.

"Kagome, you need sleep."

That was undeniable. "But that's not fair," she complained. "I wanted to spend time with you."

Inuyasha felt his breath catching in his throat.

"'s okay. I'm here."

"Hmm."

"I'll take care of ya."

"Hmm."

"And we can spend time together later."

"Hmm… Promise?"

"Yeah. Yeah, if you want it to be, 's a promise."

"Good. Thanks, Inuyasha."

Then she yawned again, and he felt her arms relax a little around him. Her breathing became more even, and Kagome was finally able to get some much deserved rest.

Inuyasha sighed. He had it _bad_ for that girl. He hoped this wouldn't be the last time she'd wait for him outside of practice, so this could be the memory that would stay with him. He hoped he'd spend more time with her, as he'd just promised, hoped that she really wanted him to keep that promise.

Because that was the thing, when he was with Kagome.

He could hope.

* * *

_Part three's here! So far so good, and by that I mean I'm sticking to the schedule x) I hope you're still liking this! A dash of angst in this one perhaps? But it's still Inuyasha and Kagome pining for each others like two dummies who should kiss already dammit! Thank you for your kind reviews so far, and I hope to see more of you if you're liking this AU!_

_Dya._


	4. Chapter 4

_Prompt: "Stop wandering off! I keep thinking you've gotten abducted or something. I swear I'll put you on a kiddie leash. Don't tempt me."_

* * *

Inuyasha paused when he found Kagome waiting for him after practice, again. He had not been expecting her. They hadn't made any plans, he hadn't asked her anything, and yet, here she was, looking around. Waiting. For him.

"Hey," he said, voice sounding gruff, as he walked towards her. "What are ya doing here?"

"Well, I figured you could come over tonight, but first we need to go buy some stuff. Are you free?"

He rose an eyebrow.

"Is that a date?"

"A date to the grocery shop? Sure. I'm just _that_ romantic."

He scoffed, then shrugged. Why the fuck had he even asked?

"Sure."

"Yay, it's a date then!"

He stared at her, then laughed a little. His heart has just jumped in his chest a little, and it was ridiculous honestly, but shit, he couldn't help it. Kagome watched as his expression changed. She liked to make him laugh. She liked the way he sounded, his deep voice, and she was always a little surprised by how unsure he seemed. Like he didn't laugh a lot, like he didn't quite know how to do it right. She was more than happy to help him train.

She took a step towards him and slipped her hand in his.

"Let's go!" she said chirpily, hoping her voice didn't go a tad too high, because, wow, she couldn't believe she was doing that.

Inuyasha looked down at their hands, following after her. Her hand was small and soft, and of course, Kagome was _far_ weaker than him, and yet he didn't feel like there was any way for him to resist her pull. No use, either. He grinned, and let himself be taken away.

* * *

He didn't know how he could keep losing her in such a small place. She would ask him to go get her something, he'd do it, and by the time he was back, she had vanished. He couldn't even count on his nose in such a place. The fruit stand in particular was disorienting, but generally, the food everywhere didn't help him.

With a sigh, he resorted to looking for her the old-fashioned way. Yeah, he could have jumped above the shelves, but something was telling him that the owners wouldn't appreciate that too much. Also, the ceiling seemed a bit low.

When he found her — fucking _finally_ — he grinned, only for this grin to turn into a frown when he saw the person she was talking to. She didn't seem too happy about it either, her shoulders tense, her smile forced, and he instantly felt his protective instincts kick in. In a few strides, he arrived next to her, moving his arm over her shoulder.

"Stop wandering off, dammit. I keep thinking you've gotten abducted or something." He eyed the man dangerously. "Ah, Naraku. You're here too."

"Inuyasha," Naraku smiled, giving him a nod, and Inuyasha had to hold back a hiss. His demonic, animal instincts didn't have much hold on him most of the time, but seeing the spider demon really got on his nerves, in a way few other things did. "Do not fear, I have no interest in your girlfriend. Not in this one, at least."

Inuyasha's hand tightened a little on Kagome's shoulder, but he forced himself to release his grip so he wouldn't risk hurting her, and his arm fell to his side. He missed Kagome's little shudder when his warmth left her.

Naraku had always been interested in Kikyo. It had been a subject of conflict, actually. Of course, this was quite some time ago, now, but there were rumors going around that him and Kikyo were an item, and even now, Inuyasha didn't like that idea. The guy was fucking shady.

"Great. Then get the fuck out of my face."

Naraku's lips tightened, but even he wasn't going to start shit with Inuyasha — or, possibly, with the priestess who was standing next to him. Inuyasha saw his fist clenching, knew he hadn't made a friend, but he didn't give a fuck. He watched the man's back as he left. Good riddance.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice sounded worried, and he gritted his teeth. He hadn't meant to do that.

"If you keep doing that, I'll put you on a kiddie leash, I swear," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't tempt me."

It worked, at least briefly, and she chuckled.

"Pff, I'd like to see you try."

He grinned, leaning forwards a little.

"Would ya?"

It was a delight to see her blush and turn away.

"W-we're almost done here, come on!"

He laughed quietly and followed after her, but the mood didn't go back to what it was before they had run into Naraku.

They walked back home without speaking, both lost in rather unpleasant thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked, her voice soft and quiet, finally breaking the silence.

When Inuyasha didn't reply, she lifted her shoulders a little, eyes on the ground. She was aware of who Naraku was, of what people said about him and Kikyo and maybe… Maybe Sango was right, after all. Maybe Inuyasha wasn't over Kikyo, if that encounter was making him react like that. Maybe his interest in her was purely platonic, or worse, maybe he was looking for a rebound. Maybe…

Inuyasha grabbed her hand.

"'m good," he said with a shrug. "It's all in the past now, y'know. Doesn't mean it ain't—" He cleared his throat. "Doesn't mean I enjoy having to think 'bout it, 'specially not like that, but, well, 's over, and I know that. There's— I don't like Kikyo anymore."

He was ready to move on.

Kagome didn't answer. She wasn't quite sure what she could say, what she should say, what he wanted her to say.

So she didn't say anything, and she just held his hand tighter.

* * *

_Hope you guys are still liking this! Thanks a lot for all your kind words, they're very appreciated :) Throwing in just a tad bit more of angst, and we are getting close to the end of this little thing already, but I certainly hope it's fun for you so far!_

_Dya._


	5. Chapter 5

_Prompt: "Why are you staring at me like that? It's just a swimsuit, geez."_

* * *

This time, he _had_ gone according to plan, and he wanted to make one thing clear: anything that went wrong was on _her_. They had agreed he'd come to her place after classes on Monday, for the last day, and everything was set. Just like the last time, an unimpressed Sango opened the door for him, declared she was going to train and that Kagome would be there in a second, and left the place.

He found her to be somewhat nicer in that, and he wondered why that was. Maybe she was warming up to him? Or maybe she was warming up to Miroku. The monk had been talking about her a _lot_, and though Inuyasha usually didn't believe half of what he said, perhaps there was some truth in there this time.

He waited awkwardly in the minuscule living-room, then decided to get going on the dishes. He felt a twinge of disappointment at Kagome's absence. If there was one thing he had enjoyed, since this whole thing had begun, it was getting to talk to her. Simple things, really. She'd lean on the counter next to him, occasionally found a chair, and she talked.

It was easy. He liked it.

So for her not to be there, and on his last day, too… It was unpleasant.

He heard the door slam as he was filling the sink with hot water.

"H—"

"I'll be here in a second!"

And with that, her room's door slammed, and he was left alone, again. He focused back on the sink with a bitter taste in his mouth. Was she in a hurry to get rid of him? Did she not want him around? Had she not enjoyed these past few days as much as him?

A few minutes passed, during which he rehashed those thoughts at length, and then he door reopened. He heard her feet moving around before she got to the kitchen.

"So, I _did_ buy it. I know it's a bit daring but— _shit_."

He turned around when he cursed and found her simply staring at him.

In a swimsuit that could, indeed, be qualified as _daring_. The thing was tied behind her neck, and two black straps crossed, covering her breasts, before going down to her hips where they turned in very standard bikini bottoms. The display left very little to imagination and, indeed, her entire back and stomach exposed.

He _knew_ he shouldn't have kept looking, but he simply couldn't help himself. His eyes travelled slowly over her body — her long legs, her large thighs and hips, her stomach, her breasts, her shoulders.

"We need to stop meeting like that," Kagome said, attempting a joke.

He cleared his throat.

"_You_ need to stop coming out practically naked when you know I'm here, woman," he said, knowing that he was absolutely not convincing in his fake outrage. "What are ya trying to do, tempt me?"

_'__Cause if you are, let me tell you, it's fucking working._

"Hey," she protested, folding her arms, which had her breasts doing very interesting things, "it's not my fault! Why are you even staring at me like that? It's just a swimsuit, geez."

But she had to admit, it was flattering, and she was almost disappointed when Inuyasha looked away, blush spreading on his cheeks.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"I was just joking, Inuyasha," she quickly interrupted him, not liking the guilt in his voice. "This is… kind of supposed to get people staring."

People? He had to hold back a growl. He didn't like the idea of _people_ staring at her one bit.

"Well. Now y'know it works, I suppose."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, I thought it was Sango, I— I thought I'd come and wait for you outside of practice, actually. You don't—?"

"Not on Mondays, nah," he said with a shrug, ignoring the fuzzy sensations at his stomach at her words. "I was here last week, remember?"

She snapped her fingers.

"Riiight, I don't know why I didn't make that connection. Ugh, give me two minutes and I'll come back to keep you company. I'm sorry about this, really."

"D'you _really_ think I minded?"

Finally, she got an appropriate reaction, and blushed as he allowed himself to look at her again, this time with real _hunger_ in his eyes.

"I'll be back!" she squeaked, and disappeared in her room.

Inuyasha chuckled, then took a deep breath. Damn. He liked the way she looked. Also, he needed a cold shower.

Kagome came back out, wearing a large T-shirt, and pushed herself up to sit on the worktop next to him. He glanced at her, and was struck by how _attracted_ he was to her. It wasn't the swimsuit, earlier. Even seeing her like that, he wanted to kiss her, wanted to take off her clothes, wanted to have her right then and there. Wanted to hear her say his name, wanted to know how she'd feel under his hands. Wanted _her_.

"So, how was your day?"

"Alright, I guess," he said, carefully adverting his eyes. "Miroku kept talking about Sango, Koga was a pain in the ass… Same old, same old."

She laughed at that. Her laugh was light, musical. He loved it.

"Koga isn't _that_ bad."

"You know he's nice to you 'cause he liked ya, right?"

"I'd guessed, yeah," she admitted with a grimace. "He, erm, had a hard time taking the hint. But he hasn't overtly flirted with me in the last week, and he was still nice to me, so I guess he's moved on."

"Miroku says he's met a girl. Another wolf-demon."

"Miroku is _such_ a gossip."

Inuyasha let out a laugh.

"He is. He's the worst."

There was a moment of comfortable silence, and Kagome watched him work. She liked looking at him. His lovely dog-ears flicked on top of his head, his biceps moved nicely under his t-shirt, even with such simple movement, and the sight was certainly lovely, and some hair escaped from his ponytail, falling in front of his face.

Without thinking, Kagome leaned forward, towards him, and reached out, pushing it out of the way. Inuyasha immediately turned to look at her, surprise on his face. Which was when she realized how close she had gotten to do that.

"Sorry, I—"

The intensity in his eyes froze her on the spot. She didn't know what she had meant to say. She didn't know if her brain would ever work correctly again, actually. He moved in front of her, his wet, dripping hands on both sides of her, and she swallowed, looking at him. He was _close. _She had never gotten to notice before the dark sparkles in his golden irises.

He looked at her for a long time, studying her expression, trying to read her. He had been holding back so far, but her contact, even if it was just the tip of her fingers brushing against his forehead, had really made him lose it. He wanted her so _fucking_ bad.

He had just started to lean forwards, and her eyes were fluttering shut, when the front door opened.

When Sango and Miroku came in, his hands were back in the sink, and Kagome was sitting on the worktop, a little further away from him, a blush on her face that could probably be attributed to the steam coming out of the sink. Probably.

"Hey," Sango said, voice as even as ever. "I probably sprained my ankle."

Kagome jumped down from the worktop, immediately running to her friend. Miroku had an arm around her waist and seemed very happy with himself as he helped her lay Sango down on the couch before going to get ice for her in the refrigerator.

Inuyasha had never hated him more than he did now.

* * *

Kagome saw them both at the door once he was done.

"Thank you _so much_, Miroku," she said for the millionth time. "I'll keep you updated, okay? She should be fine in the next couple of days, but I'll let you know."

"My pleasure, really, Kagome," he replied, bowing his head slightly, and if Inuyasha had to hear this one more time, he would die or kill someone.

"And, Inuyasha, thank you, too."

He shrugged.

"'s nothing. I'd lost the bet, hadn't I?"

Kagome winced a little, and he cursed himself when her eyes fell to the ground.

"…sure. I'll see you guys around, then?"

"But of course!" Miroku said enthusiastically. "I will _certainly_ be around."

Sometimes, Inuyasha really wished things were as easy for him.

"Sure," he said.

She smiled and waved at them, then closed the door, and Inuyasha stayed there staring at it for way too long. There was a bitter taste in his mouth.

So that was it, then? He'd just— missed the boat, and now that was it? He'd gotten a _taste_ of what it was like to be with her, to have her by his side, her voice, her laugh, he'd _almost_ gotten to kiss her, and no more? How anticlimactic, in every fucking meaning of the word.

"Are you coming, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, yeah, coming."

Ah well, he thought, turning away from the door that seemed to be laughing in his face. That was life, sometimes. You can't always get what you want.

He knew that better than anyone else.

* * *

_One chapter left! I know, I know, this chapter wasn't as fluffy as the rest, and I'm aware they have a serious communication problem (both of them, Inuyasha can't take all the blame for that for once). I promise everything will get resolved though, and I hope you'll like the conclusion for this mini-fic!_

_Dya._


	6. Chapter 6

Prompt: "I wanna cuddle, but if I start touching you I might not be able to stop."

* * *

The knock on the door had been unexpected. It was Saturday night, and Kagome was all alone in her apartment. Usually, her and Sango would have been getting ready to watch some TV show or movie, but her friend had purely and simply abandoned her to go out with Miroku. She was happy for her, of course, but she was still taking the betrayal pretty sourly. She was getting prepared to go on with the usual program, on her own, when she'd heard it.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, confused, when she opened the door on the panting half-demon.

"Hey," he replied, his breath short. "I heard— I mean, Sango said ya were alone tonight. And since Miroku's left me behind too, I figured I could— join ya?"

Kagome blinked. So… Was this really just a clever set up?

"Have you been running?"

"No," he lied, averting his eyes, "just thought you might, y'know, get out or make plans or somethin' and I didn't to, erm, miss ya."

Right. Because that was convincing.

Yet Kagome's expression softened, and she finally gave him a smile. She had been surprised to see him at her door unannounced, but she'd be lying if she said she minded. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear in a surprisingly shy gesture, and moved out of the way to let him in.

"I'd really like that," she said softly.

She had missed him this week. She had gotten used to having him around, even if it had technically been just for four days, admittedly spanned over longer than that, and to seeing him, and… Yeah, she'd missed him. She had hoped she'd be hearing from him, especially after they had almost kissed. She could still remember the heat radiating from him, the hunger in his eyes when he'd looked at her, and just thinking about it almost sent a shiver down her spine.

But there hadn't been anything. Sure, she could have contacted him, but, well, she felt she had given enough signs by now, hadn't she? If he didn't take the hint, it quite possibly meant that he didn't want to, that he wasn't interested. She wasn't going to keep chasing after a guy who didn't want her back. Even a guy she liked as much as she liked Inuyasha.

"So," he mumbled once he was in, having kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag by the couch, "what're we watching?"

She laughed and jumped on, patting the spot next to her. He let himself fall by his side. His body relaxed, and he naturally moved his arm to lay on the back of the couch.

"You can pick," she offered, handing him the remote control. "Just don't get anything terrible."

"No pressure," he grinned, and Kagome laughed.

The awkwardness of the first seconds had already vanished, and she was reminded of why she liked being around Inuyasha so much. Under his abrasive appearance, he was a fun, laid-back guy, and sure, he still tended to be a bit aggressive, he got angry faster than most people, but… But she didn't mind a little fire.

Looking at him now, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him. They were close, and for once, he wasn't washing her dishes. She wanted to touch him, she wanted to feel his body against hers. And surely, if he was here tonight… He had to want that too, right?

"There, that'll have to do," he decided, and his voice brought her back to the moment when he picked a general action flick.

She nodded and grabbed the bowl of pop-corn she had prepared before. Then, she took a sharp breath, and leaned against him.

"That better be good," she said as casually as possible, even if her heart was hammering in her chest, so hard she wondered if he could hear it.

His chest was hard against her back, and she swore she heard him growl, until he wrapped his arms around her. His embrace was perhaps just a little too tight, too tense, and yet there was something deeply protective about it. Something she was sure she could grow to love. She rested her head on his collarbone. Inuyasha took a deep breath, and this time, she was _sure_ she heard him growl.

"Are you okay?" she asked turning to look back at him, and she found him staring at her with exactly the same expression he had just a few days earlier.

He rose a clawed hand to her face, tracing her cheeks, and she was mesmerized by everything. His eyes, his touch, his lips, so, _so_ close to hers…

Then he moved back.

"Shit, Kagome, I wanna cuddle, I swear, but if I touch you, I might not be able to stop."

"Then don't," she whispered, pushing herself a little closer to him.

He cleared his throat, then forced himself to look away, reaching for his bag.

"I gotcha something, actually."

"Oh?"

She watched as he rummaged through the bag, until he finally got to a small box.

"Yeah," he mumbled, slowly pulling it out. "I was gonna do it right but— Well, really, it's kinda _your_ fault."

"_My _fault?" she protested, looking away from his hand. "And what did I do this time?"

"You're the one who let Valentine's Day pass, and really, if you were into me…"

"I did get you chocolates for Valentine's Day!"

"To me, and Miroku, _and_ fucking Koga!"

_And Sango, and Ayame, and Ginta and Hakkaku, and your brother_, she completed in her mind, though he didn't need to know that. What could she say? She liked letting people know she cared for them.

"I don't see what that has to do with— What _is_ that anyway?"

She tried to grab it, but he immediately pulled it out of her reach. She tried to climb on top of him to get to it, but he stopped her, stilling her by putting his other hand on her waist.

"Dammit, woman, what did I _just_ say?" he snarled through gritted teeth.

"That you didn't know if you'd be able to stop if you touched me," she replied, breath suddenly short. "And I said you didn't have to."

"Sure but I'm— I'm trying and you're not— Ugh, just sit back and let me finish."

She rolled her eyes, but obeyed, throwing herself back against the arm of the couch. Her feet were still resting against his thigh, but he didn't say anything about that.

"D'you know what day it is today?"

"…Saturday?"

"You're the worst."

"Honestly, I have no idea, Inuyasha."

He cleared his throat.

"It's White Day. So, erm— If you want—"

She barely looked at the chocolate box when he handed it to her. She appreciated the gesture, of course, and she would definitely enjoy the chocolates, but right now, there was something far more tempting in the room with her, and she was not going to let him get away this time.

In one feline movement, she was straddling him, legs on either side of his thighs, and her mouth was moving against his as she rolled her hips in the most sinful way. Inuyasha cursed before grabbing her hips. He pushed her down on the couch and started pulling off his shirt immediately. He wanted her. He'd wanted her for fucking _weeks_, if not months, and she clearly seemed to want him too.

She applied the slightest bit of pressure on his chest and he pulled away, worried. He was much stronger than her, and he'd always been stronger than his lovers, so he had learned to be extremely careful when it came to that sort of cues. Still, despite her actions one second before, despite the way she had acted with him recently, he couldn't help but fear that she was going to reject him.

It was, as it turned out, quite the opposite.

"Just to be clear," she said breathlessly, "I like you, Inuyasha. This can't be a one time thing, or— Hmph!"

He shut her up with another kiss, almost feral this time, and he bit her lower lip playfully. A one time thing? As if he'd ever let her go…

The box of chocolates laid forgotten on the table next to them. It had served its purpose, sort of, and it would make for a nice after sex snack, which Kagome would appreciate highly.

For now, though, there was something else she was simply _dying_ to get a taste of…

* * *

_And here we are for the conclusion of this little College AU! I hope you guys have enjoyed this, do feel free to leave a review to let me know what you thought of it, and I will should see you around soon for more Inukag!_

_Dya._


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